Southwest Notes: Deng, Ariza, Mavs, Stokes

The Mavs have no intention of giving Luol Deng a deal in the $12-$14MM range, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com. They have significant concerns about the 29-year-old’s durability after years of him being a workhorse for Chicago and dealing with back and Achilles tendon issues recently.  They value him as a versatile, tenacious defender with a career scoring average of 16 points per game, but his subpar 3-point shooting isn’t ideal for a Dallas team that is short on long-distance threats. Here’s more out of the Southwest:

  • Should Dallas fail to land Carmelo Anthony, Trevor Ariza is arguably the best fit for the Mavs out of any of their Plan B targets, contends MacMahon in a separate piece.
  • Bulls exec Brian Hagen is now on the shortlist in the Grizzlies‘ search for a new front office addition, reveals Marc Stein of ESPN.com (on Twitter).  Hagen joins Brooklyn’s Bobby Marks, New York’s Mark Warkentien, and Indiana’s Peter Dinwiddie as candidates for the job.
  • Grizzlies second-round pick Jarnell Stokes will probably wait to sign his deal so that Memphis can figure things out in free agency first, writes Ronald Tillery of the Commercial Appeal.  The former Tennessee standout spoke with Hoops Rumors earlier this offseason about his skillset and career goals.
  • Despite hitting a few snags during negotiations, the Spurs announced that they’ve signed Bryce Cotton to a minimum-salary deal, and the Grizzlies confirmed that Zach Randolph has inked an extension to remain in Memphis.

Charlie Adams contributed to this post.

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